‘He was no use to racing, so I feared he was headed to the slaughterhouse’
When he was just ten years old in January 2014, ex-racing horse Misty* was rescued and brought to Hillside Animal Sanctuary in Frettenham, Norfolk, by Wendy Valentine. She tells Closer, “I set up the sanctuary in 1995 to take in animals who’d been rescued from factory farms, and expanded it when I realised racehorses needed a home too. Misty* had been bred for the racing industry, but had sustained a back injury, probably during his racing career. He was no longer of use to the racing industry, so I feared he may be going to a slaughterhouse as that does happen sometimes.
I find it shocking that the industry in general uses them to make money, and then just dumps them. If Misty hadn’t been saved, he could have ended up in dog meat for the UK. When he arrived at the sanctuary, Misty was tame and used to being handled by humans in racing, but he walked very gingerly – his injury was putting him in a lot of pain. It was hard to see. But with lots of rest and TLC, he fully recovered and now lives a happy pain-free life in the company of his best horse friends. Despite his circumstances, he’s always been very relaxed and laid-back. We have 2,500 rescue horses at the sanctuary, and we never turn a horse away – we have sanctuaries all over Norfolk. Misty is one of the most affectionate horses – he’s always in front of the field when there is someone around to make a fuss of him. Everyone adores Misty – he has a close bond with one of our carers, Georgia, who loves feeding and grooming him. He has got the most gentle, beautiful character.”
Hillside offers an adoption scheme, so you can adopt a horse and be kept up-to-date with their life.
● For more information, visit Hillside.org.uk